#till he gets his seat back in Alpha Tauri or Red Bull

[painandalsosuffering]

digital footprint goes crazy

[callmewrinkles3]

Phone Call

Summary: While sitting waiting for their hotel room to be available the day after Silverstone, Em gets a phone call that changes the rest of her year.

July 2023

It was supposed to just be an easy day, relaxing in the hotel while Blake and Dan had their meetings in Red Bull to prep for the tyre test and what Dan needed to do to be in contention for next year. A couple of hours later her phone rang, Em going out to the lobby to take the call.

“Hey Baby, what’s happening?”

“I know we said next year. I know. But how do you feel about finding somewhere to live in Faenza for the rest of the year?”

Her heart felt like it had stopped. This year. She couldn’t believe it.

“Seriously? I’m in public I can’t really talk. But what’s the details?”

“Helmut gave Nyck till Silverstone to get on Yuki’s level, he hasn’t done it. If the tyre test goes well tomorrow then it’s mine if I want it. But I promised you this year. And you’re pregnant. You won’t be able to go to the last races. I just..fuck.”

“Will you regret it if you say no?” It was quiet between them for a moment, the ease between them simple.

“Yeah. I will.”

Em took a deep breath before looking around the hotel, spotting people in team gear. She’d said yes already, but this felt different. “Then you do it .”

“You sure you’re ok with me taking it?”

“Yeah. It’s not going to be easy, but we did it before. We can do it again. I can’t totally talk, but do it. It’ll be fine.”

“Thank you Emmy.”

“Go prove you deserve it. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Em stared at her tablet as she went back into the bar, staring at the mock up for the baby’s nursery that she’d been working on. Instead she pulled up one of her old travel spreadsheets and made a copy, getting to work with planning. This was going to be insane.

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked, Em shaking her head.

“It’s about what we talked about last night, Dan had to tell me something, I’ll tell you when we’re in one of the rooms?” Her words were clear enough that Charlie knew it was serious but didn’t reply, working out what she was doing for the week. It was working remote and running her sessions remotely where possible, but with the kids that wasn’t always a thing.

Finally Dan and Blake got back as their hotel rooms were ready, the four going up and piling into Dan and Em’s room. He’d organised a room with a balcony that looked over Silverstone for Em to watch the tyre test as he drove. When everyone was sitting down Dan spoke.

“If my times tomorrow are representative of the times I’ve been doing in the sim, I’ll be announced as an Alpha Tauri driver on Friday morning.”

The shock fully hit Em, staring at him as she felt the baby move. This is real. It’s happening. Oh god.

“Nyck’s seat?” Charlie asked and Dan nodded. “Does he know?”

“Marko gave him till Silverstone but he hasn’t improved. The gap with Yuki hasn’t changed at all. I think he thinks he’ll have till the summer but that won’t happen. Christian told me this is an audition for the big one. I heard some of the mechanics talking. Checo and Carola had a fight after the race on Sunday.”

“Poor girl.” Em was quiet for a moment. “So Friday? That’s soon. How does it feel?”

“Terrifying. But I’ll get there. You ready to be a wag again? Charlie are you ok with this? I know it wasn’t what you planned.”

“We’ll make it work. I…you belong in a car, Dan. You do. Blake and I can work out, right?”

“Yeah we will.” Em watched Blake take her hand and squeeze, holding onto her tightly. “Chuck comes first, if I need to go I’m going.”

“If you need to go I’m booking your flight myself. You made sure Dan and I made things work, it’s our turn now. But this is happening? We’re all good with it?”

“Yeah. It is. Fuck. I’m driving in a race in two weeks.”

After the four of them ate a late lunch they agreed to chill out in their own hotel rooms for the night. Dan pulled Em into his side as she ran her fingers through his curls.

“Have you told your parents yet?” Em asked quietly.

“Not yet. Not till it’s official? I don’t want them to think it’ll happen till it does. Plus they’ll ask about Mike and that…yeah. Fuck.”

“Oh Baby, I know. I know.” It still hurt that they didn’t speak anymore, that the hug she’d given him at Silverstone was the only time she’d seen him since her wedding. But she’d come home to see him leave the house in anger, Dan unwilling to talk about everything in their fight. She still missed her big brother so much, and spending weekends in the same hotel and garage would be surreal.

“Fuck. It’s just shit. He was my best man and two days later. It’s shit.”

“I know. And I can’t say anything else. But you won’t be working closely with him. And maybe it’ll thaw things.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Em kept running her fingers through his hair, kissing Dan’s forehead. It had to be ok. It had to be.

[dizzyduck44]

What have Red Bull got against Lando Norris?

So as anyone who has seen the latest episode of McLaren Unboxed will know, during the Portuguese Grand Prix someone from Red Bull threw a paper airplane at Lando with a printed message/threat “Don’t get in our way again”.

Now why are Red Bull being outwardly aggressive towards another driver? Well what follows are my musings on why at least one person at Red Bull might have an unanswered question when it comes to Lando.

Our story starts back when Lando was a teenager. He spoke about being invited to meet Helmut Marko in Monaco on the Grand Prix weekend. After a few basic pleasantries Lando recalls being asked “how much does your F3 car weigh?” Completely thrown by the question he didn’t have an answer but he remembered the reply he got from Marko, “Max would know”. Lando mused that Red Bull never offered their junior programme to him so he mustn’t have made a good impression. Marko had effectively dismissed him as not worthy.

That is until 2018, Lando is leading the F2 championship and has been setting impressive times in testing and practices for McLaren who have made him a development driver. Red Bull and Toro Rosso are in turmoil. Danny Ric has made a shock decision to leave and go to Renault, Gasly will be moved up to the main team, Sainz has been released from his Red Bull contract and they have decided to bin off Hartly. Sadly the Red Bull junior programme is out of drivers with a super licence. So Marko again turns to Lando, threatening to the press if McLaren don’t give him the 2019 drive he will put him in a Toro Rosso. McLaren’s swift announcement in the July that Lando would drive for them next season shut that down however this was the second time Marko had looked at Lando as an asset to Red Bull but not really meant it.

Then there is the small issue of Max and Lando being friends. To a lot of us it still seems a strange pairing but it does make sense. They have similar interests and having never raced each other till F1 there was no chance they carried grudges from junior categories. However this did bring about a chink in Max’s nothing bothers me act. Lando is a sarcastic and sometimes brutally honest friend who on more than one occasion has said something to Max and there is a slight flicker when you can see it’s hit Max hard and then he quickly reverts to laughing it off. Lando can upset and bother Max, that probably does not endear him to Dr Marko and Mr Horner and let’s be honest, it’s dangerous to them.

However none of the above really matter while Lando was pootaling around in a midfield car scraping out lower point scoring results. Marko was clearly right to dismiss him. Except now in 2021, Lando is in the mix of things. Since Abu Dhabi last year we have seen the kid that dominated junior categories with speed and consistency reappear. Honestly I don’t think it’s surprised anyone in the paddock, but maybe they didn’t expect it for another couple of years.

Now Red Bull are faced with a real shot at a championship and a pesky McLaren that keeps being a stumbling block. In Imola, Lando nearly out qualified Max. He certainly outraced Checo that day. At Portimao it seemed to be two days of blame Lando for everything. My favourite being “he overtook me off the track” “when I looked in my mirrors he had all four wheels over the line”. If you can see him in your mirrors Sergio he’s still behind you.

So is this sudden character attack by Red Bull really steeped in one issue? Lando could’ve may be been sat in that other Red Bull seat, at worst in an Alpha Tauri right now, but if he continues to be the thorn in the side of Red Bull this season then they really only have themselves to blame. Has Helmut Marko got this wrong?

Personally I think the Red Bull programme would have probably destroyed Lando so in reality this has worked in his favour, however having printed threats sent to you, even if meant as a joke, he has certainly rattled at least one person at Red Bull and I don’t think it’s Max!